The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
The present disclosure relates to a sprinkler assembly and, more particularly, to a sprinkler assembly that exhibits reduced energy losses, which may be used in both residential and commercial applications, including storage applications, and further may be used in a control mode or a suppression mode.
Significant energy losses occur at the sprinkler assemblies where the fluid is dispersed. Conventional sprinkler assemblies include a base with a passageway, an inlet opening, and a discharge opening, which is adapted for connecting to the system piping, and a deflector that is supported spaced from the base, typically by a pair of arms that extend from the base. The arms are often joined at their distal ends by a boss, which is used to mount the deflector to the arms. Pendent sprinklers and upright sprinklers typically include deflectors with a solid central portion and a plurality of tines that extend radially outwardly from the central portion for dispersing the fluid as it flows across the solid central portion, which is mounted to the boss and typically aligned with the discharge opening of the base. Sidewall sprinklers typically include a deflector, also with a solid central portion with tines extending from the central portion and a blade that is positioned above the central portion to direct the fluid that flows above the central portion outwardly and downwardly. In each case, when the fluid flows from the discharge opening of the base the fluid impinges on the boss and on the central portion of the deflector. The boss and deflector disperse the fluid radially outward, and the fluid is thereafter further dispersed by the tines, and in the case of the sidewall sprinklers also by the blade. This results in a sizeable energy or head loss in the fluid at the sprinkler assembly. Significant savings can be realized for a sprinkler system if the supply pressure to the sprinkler assembly can be reduced. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, where the supply pressure to the sprinkler assemblies of a system can be reduced, the size of the piping delivering the fluid to the sprinkler assemblies can be reduced and/or the size of the system pump can be downsized. If comparable performance of a sprinkler assembly can be provided at a lower pressure for any given system, the need for a pump might even be avoided. Any of these modifications could provide significant savings in the installation cost of a fire protection system. Accordingly, a sprinkler assembly that can disperse fluid with a reduced head loss may reduce the required pressure at the sprinkler assembly and, hence, provide cost savings for the installation of a fire protection system incorporating such sprinkler assemblies.